Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5: Time for A Refreashing New Course

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 3:8-15 (NRSV)

The man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this,

cursed are you among all animals

and among all wild creatures;

upon your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will strike your head,

and you will strike his heel."

Psalm 130 (BCP., p.784)


2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 (NRSV)

Just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture-- "I believed, and so I spoke" -- we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Mark 3:20-35 (Common English Bible CEB)

Jesus entered a house. A crowd gathered again so that it was impossible for him and his followers even to eat.  When his family heard what was happening, they came to take control of him. They were saying, “He’s out of his mind!”

The legal experts came down from Jerusalem. Over and over they charged, “He’s possessed by Beelzebul. He throws out demons with the authority of the ruler of demons.”

When Jesus called them together he spoke to them in a parable: “How can Satan throw Satan out?  A kingdom involved in civil war will collapse.  And a house torn apart by divisions will collapse.  If Satan rebels against himself and is divided, then he can’t endure. He’s done for.  No one gets into the house of a strong person and steals anything without first tying up the strong person. Only then can the house be burglarized.  I assure you that human beings will be forgiven for everything, for all sins and insults of every kind.  But whoever insults the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. That person is guilty of a sin with consequences that last forever.” He said this because the legal experts were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”

His mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent word to him, calling for him.  A crowd was seated around him, and those sent to him said, “Look, your mother, brothers, and sisters are outside looking for you.”

He replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”  Looking around at those seated around him in a circle, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers.  Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister, and mother.”

Blog Reflection

This past January when the Rt. Rev. Libby Lane was ordained as the first woman Bishop in the Church of England, an article appeared in The Huffington Post.  The title of the article was Sexism: The Original Sin of the Church.  The article was inspired by a podcast on All Together, a talk program.  The women who were invited to comment were, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts, Schori, the current Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church,  Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB,  the Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, and the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones.   As is always the case, Sr. Joan made a most revealing comment about the reading we have today from Genesis 3:8-15. "Let us remember that there were two sets of teeth marks in that apple."

There are two historical interpretations of this chapter from Genesis.  The Catholic tradition, interprets this story to imply that Mary is the new Eve, and in her Immaculate Conception and the birth of Christ, the "enmity between you and the woman" was undone.  The more Protestant interpretation was that Eve started the whole thing by listening to the serpent, eating the fruit and passing it on to Adam.  Thus from this notion came the response so often used in prosecuting criminals, "The devil made me do it."   In either case, the original sin of sexism is blatant, not implied. 

I tend to agree with the current interpretations that the woman was framed.  It was all too easy for a male dominated group of scribes to write this passage of Scripture and point to the woman, and let Adam off the hook much too easily.  This reading is only one among many that have been used to justify the subjugation of women as the second class citizens, between two commonly held genders.  The masculine is understood to be a dominate species, while the feminine is portrayed as the the weaker and submissive.  The man is the commonly accepted "giver" while women are unfairly stereotyped as the helpless "receiver".  

The creation and fall narrative in Genesis were not written and passed on to be the explanation of all scientific mysteries to be solved so that any mention of evolution is deemed as untrue or unacceptable.   This is a faith story written as an allegory of what really happened.  As human beings regardless of our supposedly assigned genders, we were created to love God and one another perfectly and without distinction.  In the original plan of God, we were already made as a masterpiece of God's design.   When we turn that around and make it all about us and satisfy our own arrogance and lust for godlike, we destroy what is good, and it affects everything and everyone else around us.  Including, but not limited to our relationships with those who are different from ourselves.  And so sexism, racism, heterosexism and other means of prejudice and oppression become our means of subjugating others while we benefit from their expense.  Indeed it has been and remains a plague of humankind.  Only by God's grace and our cooperation with it will we really eradicate this sickness out of the Church and society.

Now we turn to our Gospel reading.

Let us not be too hard on those who are suspicious of what Jesus has been doing.  After all, they were taught and became convinced that all religious and theological truth made them the center of the universe.  So long as they kept those they marginalized set aside and ignored them and their dignity, they were safe and secure in themselves.  None of us ever go there, I am sure.  LOL.

Here comes Jesus.  A young man from Nazareth who has been healing the sick, raising the dead, bringing to the center those conveniently set aside and chasing the evil spirits from those who were considered unlovable, helpless and hopeless.  Jesus is able to do things and say things to build an inclusive community around them, and preaching about the love of God being for everyone.  Those who felt they were in the center had to be disturbed.  Their best answer for what they were witnessing was that Jesus must be possessed by the same evil spirits the He has been casting out.  Their desire to keep their power and popularity was being shaken to its roots.  All this was happening at a time when all Israel was oppressed by a power that dehumanized everyone under a dictatorship kind of law.  

What they do not see, however, is exactly their problem.  Jesus is commanding "Satan to cast out Satan" by the power of God that is in Jesus.  Jesus is casting out the one who continues to keep the blind from seeing, and those in despair from finding hope in God's mercy.  Indeed, they were calling the work of God in Jesus evil, and this is what Jesus responds so sternly to.

Theologians and Biblical scholars of all kinds have and are still wrestling even today with this idea of an "unpardonable sin."  Yet a new possibility is emerging.  What if we see the "unpardonable sin" as not allowing the Holy Spirit to help us see God doing marvelous things before our eyes and hearts, and not letting go of our suspicions about the call to conversion and renewal?   If we are not allowing the Spirit to lead us into a deeper relationship of love with God and one another that changes our attitudes and behaviors; it becomes "unpardonable" not in the sense that we are eternally condemned, but that we are closing ourselves off to the wondrous possibilities of God's work among us.  In other words, we cannot be redeemed in this world and the next one that is being established as God's Reign, until we let go and in faith and trust give it all over to God and follow God's will. 

An interpretation such as that deeply disturbs and displaces us.  Especially when we read in the next paragraph that Jesus expands His family relationships beyond what is a merely biological.  Jesus makes everyone who is obedient out of love for God to Christ as members of His family without distinction.  Everyone is related to Jesus and one another by our common Baptism and our response to God's grace.

This is the answer to what happened in Genesis.  As we read in Galatians 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

In conclusion, Jesus seems to be calling all of us to make room for things like marriage equality, the equalization of women, African Americans, Native Americans, etc. As well as those who are unemployed, suffering from mental illness, developmental disabilities, sick, lonely and discouraged.   He calls us to embrace the oppressed and the marginalized to celebrate together God's redemption and restoration as members of an inclusive Church and society.  

Now, it is up to us as Christians to stop using the Bible and traditional theologies and foolish reasoning to become partners in Christ to build the Reign of God's love through radical hospitality and reconciliation.  Just imagine what people might actually believe and be drawn to; if all Christians committed ourselves to such a possibility.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your
inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by
your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 5.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.229).

Almighty Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed
for his disciples that they might be one, as you and he are one:
Grant that your Church, being bound together in love and
obedience to you, may be united in one body by the one Spirit,
that the world may believe in him whom you have sent, your
Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for the Unity of the Church.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.255).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for Social Justice.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.260).

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Whom Are We Ignoring?

Today's Scripture Readings

Amos 6:1a, 4-7 (NRSV)

Alas for those who are at ease in Zion,

and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.

Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory,

and lounge on their couches,

and eat lambs from the flock,

and calves from the stall;

who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,

and like David improvise on instruments of music;

who drink wine from bowls,

and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile,

and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

Psalm 146 (BCP., p.803)


1 Timothy 6:6-19 (NRSV)

There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time-- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Luke 16: 19-31 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Blog Reflection

In her book The Monastery of the Heart: An Invitation to A Meaningful Life, Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB writes:

We are all Seekers of the God who is here but invisible to the blind eye; who calls to us but is unheard by those who do not listen; who touches our lives wherever we are, but is unfelt by those whose hearts are closed to the presence of God-- who is everywhere, in everyone at all times (page 21).

The parable in today's Gospel Reading contains some fascinating images.  It is not unlike the image in the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55.   The rich are brought down, while the poor are raised up.  Yet, in  Luke 16:19-31, Jesus is taking us a step further. It is another timely message for the events we are currently living through.  

The United States House of Representatives is prepared to shut down the government which includes services to the poor and disadvantaged, Education, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and more.  They are prepared to close the government to keep that many more people from purchasing health insurance this year.   What is wrong with this picture?  Our Gospel has some thoughts about that for us.

According to William Barclay in The New Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke, the problem with the rich man is that he is so blinded by all that he has that he does not even notice poor Lazarus hungry and in need outside his gate.  In those days, people ate with their hands and not silverware.   They did not have napkins either.  They wiped their hands on pieces of bread that was later thrown out.   Lazarus longed to eat the bread crumbs that fell from the rich man's table.  The rich man was so absorbed by what he had, that he could not see past them to see his suffering brother at his gate.   He ignored Lazarus.  He chose to forget about Lazarus.  He had everything.  He had nothing to lose, or so he thought.

Before we get too lost in the judgement rendered, I think we need to look at it from the stand point of what affects one person, affects us all.   What goes around, comes around.   When the rich man having to face the reality of what his actions did to one man, he now has to face what they meant for him too.  Not only has his choice to ignore Lazarus brought him an eternal hell, it has also affected others whom he left behind.   Now he finds himself in the place of need, only to learn that the man whom he ignored now serves a greater master.  A master who did not forget his suffering, but shared in it with him and rewarded him for his faith in God, despite his poor state in life.   For the rich man, ignoring Lazarus meant he ignored God.

When we ignore others around us, we are ignoring Jesus.  The Jesus who is present and calling out to us from those places where He has been forgotten.  In the immigrant seeking to be welcomed into a country where she/he can find a peaceful place to raise a family.  Jesus is in the lesbian teen being bullied in school. Jesus is in the transgender homecoming queen who has gotten hate messages from all over.   Jesus is in the LGBT people being terrorized in Russia.  Jesus is in the millions of Americans who cannot get health insurance, who need food stamps, the women who need reproductive health care.   Jesus is present in the mother of an African American son who was gunned down, just because of his skin color.  When we ignore these, we ignore Jesus.

Who and where do we hear Jesus calling out to us to recognize him?

Are our ears open to Jesus as He calls to us?

Are we walking past Jesus as He cries out for help?

What would make us listen better?

I would suggest that if we are not taking time to spend in silence with Jesus in our hearts and lives, we will become deaf as He calls us elsewhere.   If we do not open our own hearts to Jesus who wants to share room in our hearts and lives, to nourish us in the Eucharist, we will not hear Jesus in those who are in need.   Our hearts become cold.  We become complacent.  We ignore the call of Christ in our sisters and brothers.

Jesus is calling us today.   Are we listening for Jesus?


Prayers

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing
mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we,
running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of
your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 21, Book of Common Prayer, p. 234).

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you
all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us
to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick,
and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those
who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow
into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for
our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Poor and Neglected, Book of Common Prayer, p.826).




Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, p.826).

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Remember Who Is Owner and Who Are the Tenants

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 21: 33-46 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."
Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures:

`The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord's doing,

and it is amazing in our eyes'?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Blog Reflection

At times, I think I am quite the hypocrite.  I enjoy going to union rally's and other events like it.  One of the songs they always sing is the famous "This Land is Your Land."  I enjoy singing it with the crowd.  At the same time, I often feel a sense of my own hypocrisy.  The land we are on, really is not our land.  The land we are on belonged to many Native American's before the white Christians took this land I now call mine, took it from them. Yet I sing about the land as if it were mine.  The owner of all of our lands is really God.  God created the land and gave it to whom God chose.  Yet, I sing of the land as if it were my own.

The Liturgy of the Word for this weekend begins with the giving of the commandments to Moses and the people of Israel in Exodus.   God gives the law of loving God and neighbor. God calls on those whom God has rescued from slavery to recognize God as the one God and to not create others. To avoid stealing, murder, adultery, bearing false witness, and so on.  To connect the original first reading with the optional reading from Isaiah 5: 1-7 is to understand that all who work in the vineyard of God's reign are those who have been created and commissioned by the love of God and neighbor that is required of all people.

Christianists and many archconservative Catholics/Episcopalians/Anglicans/Orthodox etc would have us believe that once Jesus Christ came and died on the Cross and rose again, means that only they are those who have chosen to work in the vineyard of God's reign.  Many Christianists and the others I have mentioned, believe that unless you agree that all abortion is murder and that any sexual activity outside of the marriage of one man and one woman, then you are not among God's workers or participants in the work in the vineyard.  In a sense, they could represent those killing the messengers.

God's reign is not made up of only one kind of person. God's spacious vineyard is not only Christians, Caucasians, legal immigrants, heterosexuals, men, European, speak English or are wealthy and healthy.  God's reign is made up of all kinds of people, each unique and with their own characteristics.  God has created the land and the work for all whom God made and loves.

The Psalmist in Psalm 19 writes and sings of how the Law of the Lord is perfect.  The Law of God revives the soul and gives joy to the heart.  The ways of God are acceptance, inclusion and love.  While the world around us seeks separation, violence and oppression, God seeks all of us out to know that in God's reign there are none who are left behind.  Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and/or queer people are among those whom God loves and wants.  God's Law is present in LGBTQ people and seeks to bring salvation to us by affirming us as we are, and helping us to live our lives to the fullest.  God's Law of love and marriage is as much for LGBTQ people as it is for straight people.  Not all marriage has to include raising children and not all unions must be man and wife.  The Law of the Lord that is so perfect, is inclusive of all people who are created and loved by God.

As much as LGBTQ people and many others who experience division from families and communities because of violence and oppression, we experience a lot of religious groups rejecting us and keeping us from obtaining what God, the land owner has freely bestowed on all of us.   Many individuals who have come to God's vineyard to speak to all God's people about including others in that vineyard have been killed and/or scandalized in their work for justice and inclusion.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.   Harvey Milk. Rosa Parks. Harriet Tubman.  The list can go on and on.

Those who do experience this kind of violence identify with the crucified Jesus.  Jesus came with a message of inclusion. Jesus' life was spent seeking the lost and those excluded to be made a part of God's community. God warned of political corruption and the consequences to minorities and those marginalized by those who enjoy their prestigious power over seeking to serve others. And because Jesus loved differently, Jesus too was marginalized, executed and even after Jesus' glorious resurrection and ascension Jesus remained an outcast.    

Whether we are Christian or not, straight or not, white or not or any other privileged vs the underprivileged, our challenge is to continue in the work of the vineyard.  To work in the vineyard doing what we are supposed to do, without becoming the new oppressors as new folks come to help us better understand how to be inclusive.

In the charming Avenue Q there is the funny but truth telling song: "Everyone is a little bit racist."  And the song is all too correct.  As much as we all try to eradicate our attitudes towards people of other races, there is still that part of us that is very suspicious about someone who is not quite like us.  It does not take much to be confronted by our own racism or prejudice towards someone else. 

I think the message of today's Gospel is for all of us to be aware of when we are the prophet coming to deliver a message of God's love, as well as when we assume we are the land owners who can just take out anyone that we do not like or who say things we do not wish to hear. 

God's receiving grace as well as God's forgiving mercy are with us no matter where we find ourselves in this story.  God seeks to redeem and transform us and our communities.  Each of us needs both redemption and transformation so that we can be a part of God's reign to do the work in the vineyard.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 22, Book of Common Prayer, page 234).

Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, The Daily Office Site).